“Takefusa Kubo: Real Sociedad Star’s Impressive Performance Leads to Champions League Qualification”

“I think it would be fine to give him about 90 points. He made it to the Champions League (CL). I’m very happy. This season is very fulfilling.”

Japan representative MF Takefusa Kubo (21) said this with a radiant expression right after the match against Atlético Madrid, who decided to participate in the CL for the first time in 10 seasons for Real Sociedad.

Real Sociedad MF Takefusa Kubo (Reuters)

■ 20 goals with goals and assists

Only one more league game is left this season. Before the start of the season, Kubo had set a goal of “20 goals in total with goals and assists”. The results so far are 44 out of 50 official games (32 starts, 8 full-time appearances), 2843 minutes played, 9 goals and 6 assists (including 2 penalties), which is very difficult to achieve.

However, looking back on the results of the past three seasons, in the 19-20 season of Mallorca, which was the first year in Spain, he played 36 games, scoring 4 goals and assisting 4 assists. He made 37 appearances in the 2020-21 season for Villarreal and Getafe, scoring two goals and providing four assists. He scored two goals and provided two assists in 31 appearances last season when he returned to Mallorca, so the past year has been impeccable.

Kubo, who celebrated his fourth year in Spain, left Real Madrid this season and finished last season’s league match in 6th place. made a decision. The club has a particularly good reputation for player development, and has a family-like atmosphere with many players from the lower organization.

Kubo, who joined in July last year, initially had ace Oyarzabal withdrawing for a long time, but there were high-level players in the midfield such as Silva, Bryce Mendes, Subimendi, and Mikel Merino, so there was a tough position battle. There was concern about the difficulty of entering the starting lineup.

However, when Kubo participated in the second game of the pre-season, he immediately demonstrated his versatile ability to play in various positions in attack and won the trust of coach Alguacil.

Unexpected position as right FW

In the meantime, he was selected as a regular player in the opening match of the league against Cadiz in mid-August, but the position is a diamond-shaped 4-4-2 right FW in the middle of the middle field. It was unexpected.

Even so, he quickly adapted to the sudden appointment of a forward without any hesitation, and even scored the winning goal to lead the team to a 1-0 victory.

After the game, Kubo, who played his role as a foreign support player, said, “I was able to start the first game as a starting member, and I scored a goal. I think it was the best start so far.” He looked relieved at the start of the game.

■ 100 matches in the Spanish league next to Inui

Since then, as is well known, Kubo’s breakthrough did not know where to stop. Due to the tight schedule that was greatly affected by the holding of the World Cup (World Cup) in the middle of the season, injuries continued to occur within the team. . In fact, he has only been out of the bench for two games so far due to a dislocated left shoulder.

Following Takashi Inui (currently Shimizu S-Pulse) in the 6th match against Espanyol in September last year, he became the second Japanese player to play 100 matches in the Spanish league, contributing greatly to the club’s first nine consecutive official match wins. After that, even when the team fell into a slump with only one win in 10 official games, Kubo never lost his luster, such as being selected as the man of the match for three consecutive games with the right side as the main battlefield. I didn’t.

He improved his finishing power and scored nine goals, the second highest in the team, but all of them have led to the victory, and he continues to set his own record for the most goals in the season. And his nine Man of the Match selections are the most in the Spanish league, surpassing world-class players such as Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) and Lewandowski (Barcelona).

Real Sociedad’s Kubo (front) poses after winning the European Champion League next season after the match against Atlético Madrid (joint)

■ The 6th and 4th final rounds are 22nd birthdays

As a result of scoring goals in important games such as the Basque Derby and capturing the hearts of the supporters and continuing to prove that he is an indispensable presence for the team, most of the players have returned from 1999. I keep protecting it.

The final section to conclude this season, which has made a further leap, will be held at home on June 4, which is his birthday, and will play against Seville, who won the European League at the end of the penalty shootout. On the day he turns 22, he will share the joy of winning the European CL qualification with the supporters who gather at the stadium.

Also, Kubo said the other day, “I was afraid that the people of La Real (* R Sociedad’s nickname) would not need me next season, but I am very happy that they will need me next season. And I will be a 100% Chuliurdin (*nickname for R Sociedad) next season as well.” I want to look forward to it.

[Correspondent Tomoyuki Takahashi](Nikkan Sports.com/Soccer Column “Football Travelogue from Spain”)